Recessed weather strip body

ABSTRACT

A T-shaped weather strip adapted to fit into a T-shaped recess is made with a longitudinal cavity in the crossbar of the T. The free end of the upright of the T is provided with sealing means such as, for example, flocking which engages the surface of a cooperating closure element to form a seal against the passage of air which the weather strip is designed to prevent. The dimensions and structure are such that the strip can be squeezed transversely slightly to narrow the crossbar of the T sufficiently to enable lateral or longitudinal insertion of the strip into the slot.

Unite States atent Dieterich 1 Sept. 12, 1972 22 Filed:

[54] RECESSED WEATHER STRIP BODY [72] Inventor: Melvin L. Dieterich,North Olmsted,

Ohio

[73] Assignee: The Standard Products Co.,

Cleveland, Ohio Nov. 16, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 89,657

[52] US. Cl. ..49/489 [51] Int. Cl. ..E06b 7/16 [58] Field of Search..49/489 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Sakraida et al...49/489 X 3,266,190 8/1966 Jackson ..49/489 Primary Examiner-KennethDowney Attorney-Meyer, Tilberry and Body [5 7 ABSTRACT A T-shapedweather strip adapted to fit into a T- shaped recess is made with alongitudinal cavity in the crossbar of the T. The free end of theupright of the T is provided with sealing means such as, for example,flocking which engages the surface of a cooperating closure element toform a seal against the passage of air which the weather strip isdesigned to prevent. The dimensions and structure are such that thestrip can be squeezed transversely slightly to narrow the crossbar ofthe T sufficiently to enable lateral or longitudinal insertion of thestrip into the slot.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PETE "TED 3E? l 2 I972 3. 6 9O O 3 8INVENTOR. MELVIN L. DIETERICH ATTORNEYS.

RECESSED WEATHER STRIP BODY CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThis application is related to the patent application of Aaron J.Ungerer, Ser. No. 89,582 filed Nov. 16, 1970 and assigned to theassignee of this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to weather stripping,and especially .to weather stripping which seals the space between tworelatively movable closure elements, these elements usually beingslidable relative to each other, the weather strip occupying a T-shapedrecess in the surface of one of the closure elements and having aweather sealing material which extends through the slot forming theupright of the T and into engagement with the surface of the otherclosure element. The crossbar of the T should fit snugly into thecorresponding portion of the recess so as to give a sealing action.However, it must not fit so tight that the strip cannot be slippedeasily into place. In this respect problems have been experienced in thepast because of variations, e.g., narrowing of the width of the crossbarportion of the recess due, for example, to wear of the extrusion diewhich forms the recess, and inaccuracies in the width of the crossbar ofthe sealing strip.

Also, replacement of an installed but worn out strip has presentedproblems because, in those circumstances, it is sometimes difiicult orpractically impossible to make an endwise insertion of the weatherstrip, so that it becomes desirable to replace the worn or damagedweather strip by direct access in a perpendicular direction relative tothe surface in which the recess is provided to hold the weather strip.Weather strips made according to the prior art do not readily lendthemselves to this type of treatment. Among the prior art which appearsprima facie as though it might be pertinent is Fig. 5 of 11.8. Pat. No.3,266,190, issued Aug. 16, 1966 to Norman C. Jackson and assigned to theassignee of this invention. However, the Jackson patent suggests the useof polyethylene terephthalate, which is very expensive, and which tendsto be too pliable in larger sizes to stay in the recess.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, a vinyl body,usually extruded, having a generally T-shaped cross section, is providedwherein the crossbar of the T has a continuous longitudinally extendingcavity, and the free end of the upright of the T is provided with asealing material. In the embodiment shown the sealing material is adense flock forming a flared pattern on the free end of the T upright.The weather strip occupies a recess in one element of a two-elementclosure, the recess having a cross section which is also approximately aT shape, S0 that the crossbar of the Weatherstrip occupies the crossbarspace of the recess, and the upright of the weather strip T extendstoward the surface of the closure element through the slot which is theupright of the T of the recess. The weather sealing material, here shownas the aforementioned flock, extends beyond the surface of the recessand into sealing engagement with the closely adjacent surface of thecooperating closure element which usually has a sliding engagementrelative to the closure element in which the recess is provided. Thecavity in the crossbar of the T is so dimensioned relative to thethickness and overall width of the crossbar and also relative to theslot in the recess that the sides of the crossbar of the weather stripmay be displaced laterally toward one another to permit longitudinalsliding of the strip into the recess or insertion of the weather stripthrough the slot and into the recess in a direction generallyperpendicular to the surface of the closure element in which the recessis provided.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a weather stripwhich is resilient in a direction lateral or transverse to the crossbarto compensate for variations in the corresponding portion of the recessin which the strip must lie in an assembled closure on variations in thewidth of the crossbar of the strip.-

It is also an object to provide a weather strip which can more easilyreplace damaged or worn weather strip in an installation already inplace.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved weatherstrip which can be readily inserted in the recess of the surface of aclosure member through the narrow slot leading to the recess from thefront of the closure member in a direction substantially perpendicularto that surface.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangementsof parts, a preferred embodiment thereof being described in detail inthis specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings whichform a part hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a pair of cooperating closureelements provided with a weather strip made according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in cross section through the weather stripelement itself apart from the recess it occupies in the assembledclosure.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view substantially on the scale of the view ofFIG. 2, but showing the portion of the closure element in which therecess is provided which receives the Weatherstrip body shown in FIG. 2;and

FIG. 4 is a view showing a weather strip according to this inventionwith the crossbar pinched to narrow its width as it is inserted into acooperating recess.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposesof illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and notfor the purposes of limiting the same, the figures show a pair ofcooperating relatively slidable closure elements A and B. Element Acarries a Weatherstrip C which resembles a T in cross section and whichis provided with a cavity shown at D. The free end of the upright of theT is provided with a sealing material such as a flock E on said freeend, the flock describing a flared pattern and being in sealing contactwith the closure element B which is closely adjacent thereto.

More specifically, surface 2 of closure element A is closely adjacent tosurface 4 of closure element B, these two elements usually having asliding movement relative to each other. As one element slides relativeto the other, usually in the direction of the double-headed arrow shownat 6, the tips of the flock E engage the surface 4 and serve to seal thespace between surfaces 2 and 4 against the unwanted movement of airtherebetween.

The closure element A is recessed as shown at 8 in FIG. 1 and as shownin detail in FIG. 3, the recess having a I generally T-shaped crosssection in which the crossbar of the T is shown as an elongated space 10and the upright of the -T is shown as a slot 12 adjacent to surface 2.

The weather strip C shown in the assembled closure in FIG. 1, is shownby itself in an enlarged view to bring out detail in FIG. 2. Referenceshould be had to the above-identified related application for certaindetails of the weather strip not discussed here and for a disclosure indetail of a method of making the weather strip C. For the purposes ofthis application, it will suffice to point out that the weather strip Cconsists of a plastic body, such as vinyl, which is preferably extruded,the

plastic having a relatively high percentage of filler, such as calciumcarbonate, in order to give the body hardness and stiffness and to lowerthe cost. The plastic body in cross section is generally in the form ofa T having a crossbar shown generally at 14 and an upright generally at16. Crossbar 14 has opposed side portions which serve as flanges 18 and20, these flanges being adapted to fit in the opposite side portions ofthe wide opening identified at 10 if FIG. 3 and constituting thecrossbar of the recess 8 in closure element A. Flanges 18 and 20 defineoverhanging edges which extend sideward from the upright 16 and are of alength defined by the dimension 0. The upright 16 of the T shown in FIG.2 is adapted to extend between the sides of the slot 12 shown in FIG. 3so that the flock E on the crowned end 22 of upright 16 can engage thesurface 4 of closure element B. Midway of the crossbar 14 of element C,a cavity D is provided to enhance the natural resilience of the plasticof which the weather strip C is made, thus to move readily to permitlateral displacement of crossbar flanges 18 and 20 toward one another toachieve advantages more fully set forth hereinafter.

The recess 8 which the weather strip is adapted to occupy is in anelement which is formed by an extrusion process, the recess itself beingformed by a male die member which wears away due to erosion in use. Itoften happens that said die member has eroded or diminished in sizequite considerably before an inspector notices the fact and requiresreplacement. However, by then a large quantity of the element has beenproduced having a recess which is substantially smaller in width thanthe recess which results when the die is new; and said large quantity isalready in the channels of commerce. Thus there are closure elementshaving weather strip recesses which are theoretically the same size butwhich in fact vary quite a lot, so that a weather strip having a bodysize that is appropriate for an element extruded by a new male die mightbe extremely tight in an element extruded by a badly worn male die. Itwill be appreciated too that there may be variations in the width of thecrossbar of the weather strip which result in a tight fit between therecess and Weatherstrip even if the recess is produced by a new die.

It is, therefore, desirable that the weather strip body he of such anature that it can be readily inserted into and have a desired fittingrelationship with a rather wide variety of recess widths. The plastic ofwhich the body of a weather-strip is made has some resilience, but

the transverse resilience of the body is considerably enhanced by thecontinuous cavity D so that a plastic body with such a cavity is usablein a greater variety of recess sizes than the same plastic body nothaving the cavity.

In addition to the foregoing consideration of recesses varying in size,there is also the aspect of the replacement market. Weather strips madeaccording to this invention wear long and well, but they are notindestructible and they can be worn out. In assembly of the recessedclosures and the weather strips at the factory, it is customary to pullthe strip into place longitudinally. However, when the strip is damagedor worn and needs to be replaced, the formerly open end of the recessmay now be, and usually is, covered so as to be inaccessible, so thatendwise insertion of a new weather strip becomes difficult orimpossible. In strips made according to this invention, portions of thebody are more readily transversely displaceable than a solid bodybecause of the continuous cavity D, which is wide enough and deep enoughto permit squeezing the flanges l8 and 20 of crossbar 14 togethersufficiently to enable the introduction of the weather strip C into therecess 8 from the front of the surface 2. More specifically, the weatherstrip C can in this manner he placed in the recess in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the surface 2 as shown by arrow 24 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows how a new strip embodying this invention can be insertedthrough the slot 12. It will of course be remembered that element C isan elongated strip, its length being perpendicular to the plane of FIGS.2 and 4. If one side portion of the weather strip, for example flange18, is placed through slot 12 into one side portion of the long space 10of recess 8, as shown in FIG. 4, the other side portion of strip Cincluding flange 20 can be laterally inwardly displaced, as shown inFIG. 4, enough to slip flange 20 of the crossbar through the slot 12into the other side portion of space 10 of recess 8. The person doingthe inserting works his way, a short length at a time, along the entirelength of the strip being inserted.

The operation described above is made possible by the dimensions shownand by the resilience of the plastic body forming the element C, andtoward that end, the free-state, or unrestrained, width of the crossbarless the free-state width of the cavity less the overhang of one end ofthe crossbar is preferably no greater than the width of slot 12.Expressed mathematically,

It is further noted that, in strips of plastic having a high percentageof filler, the depth of cavity D (dimension e in FIG. 2) is preferablygreater than the thickness of the crossbar (dimension k in FIG. 2), sothat the strip may be more resilient in the direction of dimension a,FIG. 2.

It will, of course, be understood that there are different sizes ofweather strips, but there is a degree of uniformity in such buildingmaterials, and examples of dimensions in which I have made strips andhave found satisfactory are given hereinbelow;

a 0.187 inch i 0.040 inch b 0.050 inch j= 0.025 inch 0 0.125 inch k=0.030 inch d 0.040 inch m 0.080 inch e 0.050 inch n 0.030 inch f 0.085inch 0.041 inch g=0.l40 inch p=0.l00 inch h 0.045 inch r 0.050 inch0.010 inch Although the drawing and the specific dimensions b, d, and eset forth above to define a particular depth, width and configurationfor cavity D, it is to be distinctly understood that a wide variety ofcavity widths and depths as well as a wide variety of cross sectionalconfigurations can be employed within the present invention.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferredembodiment. Obvious modifications and alterations will occur to othersupon the reading and understanding of this specification. It is myintention to include all such modifications and alterations insofar asthey come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalencethereof.

What is claimed is:

1.. In a weather strip for sealing the space between cooperablerelatively movable closure members one of which includes a generallyT-shaped recess and which weather strip includes an elongate body havinga bridging portion, a first pair of legs extending from said bridgingportion, and a second pair of legs each extending laterally from acorresponding one of said first pair of legs, said second pair of legsbeing receivable in the cross portion of said T-shaped recess and saidbridging portion having an outer surface facing the other of saidclosure members, flocked fiber sealing material on said outer surfaceand projecting therefrom toward said other closure member, said outersurface being spaced a first distance from said other closure member andsaid flocked fiber having a free length greater than said first distancewhereby said flocked fibers sealingly engage said other closure member,the improvement comprising:

said body being a rigid, vinyl plastic, said first pair of legsextending from said bridging portion in diverging relationship relativeto one another for said bridging portion and first pair of legs todefine a recess in said body having an inner end, an open outer end anddiverging sidewalls extending from said inner toward said outer end,said bridging portion and said first and second pairs of legs beinggenerally uniform in transverse cross-sectional thickness, saidthickness being approximately onesixth the lateral width between thelateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, said open outer end ofsaid recess having a lateral width less than one-third said lateralwidth between the lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, saidrecess having a depth greater than said thickness, and said bridgingportion having a width less than twothirds said lateral width betweenthe lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, the dimensionalrelationship between said bridging portions, pairs of legs and recesstogether with the diverging relationship of said first pair of legs andthe width of the open outer end of said recess providing for said pairsof legs to be displaced laterally inwardly relative to one another freeof compressive interengagement between the sidewalls of said recess forintroducing said second pair of legs into said T-shaped recess, and saidthickness of said br'd 'n rton and airs of le sto ether with the wihtilri e bridging portion, the iverging relationship of said first pair oflegs and the rigidity of said vinyl plastic providing for said bridgingportion to resist deflection inwardly of said T-shaped recess and forsaid first pair of legs to maintain said outer surface of said bridgingportion in said spaced relationship with respect to said other closuremember upon sealing engagement between said flocked fiber and otherclosure member.

2. The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein said width of saidcavity is greater than said thickness of said bridging portion and saidfirst and second pairs of legs.

3. The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein the free state widthof the body between the lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs,less the freestate width of said open outer end of said recess, less thelateral dimension between the lateral outer edge of one of said secondpair of legs and the outer side of the corresponding one of said firstpair of legs is no more than the width of the opening of said T-shapedrecess.

1. In a weather strip for sealing the space between cooperablerelatively movable closure members one of which includes a generallyT-shaped recess and which weather strip includes an elongate body havinga bridging portion, a first pair of legs extending from said bridgingportion, and a second pair of legs each extending laterally from acorresponding one of said first pair of legs, said second pair of legsbeing receivabLe in the cross portion of said T-shaped recess and saidbridging portion having an outer surface facing the other of saidclosure members, flocked fiber sealing material on said outer surfaceand projecting therefrom toward said other closure member, said outersurface being spaced a first distance from said other closure member andsaid flocked fiber having a free length greater than said first distancewhereby said flocked fibers sealingly engage said other closure member,the improvement comprising: said body being a rigid, vinyl plastic, saidfirst pair of legs extending from said bridging portion in divergingrelationship relative to one another for said bridging portion and firstpair of legs to define a recess in said body having an inner end, anopen outer end and diverging sidewalls extending from said inner towardsaid outer end, said bridging portion and said first and second pairs oflegs being generally uniform in transverse cross-sectional thickness,said thickness being approximately one-sixth the lateral width betweenthe lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, said open outer endof said recess having a lateral width less than one-third said lateralwidth between the lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, saidrecess having a depth greater than said thickness, and said bridgingportion having a width less than two-thirds said lateral width betweenthe lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, the dimensionalrelationship between said bridging portions, pairs of legs and recesstogether with the diverging relationship of said first pair of legs andthe width of the open outer end of said recess providing for said pairsof legs to be displaced laterally inwardly relative to one another freeof compressive interengagement between the sidewalls of said recess forintroducing said second pair of legs into said T-shaped recess, and saidthickness of said bridging portion and pairs of legs together with thewidth of the bridging portion, the diverging relationship of said firstpair of legs and the rigidity of said vinyl plastic providing for saidbridging portion to resist deflection inwardly of said T-shaped recessand for said first pair of legs to maintain said outer surface of saidbridging portion in said spaced relationship with respect to said otherclosure member upon sealing engagement between said flocked fiber andother closure member.
 2. The weather strip according to claim 1, whereinsaid width of said cavity is greater than said thickness of saidbridging portion and said first and second pairs of legs.
 3. The weatherstrip according to claim 1, wherein the free state width of the bodybetween the lateral outer edges of said second pair of legs, less thefree-state width of said open outer end of said recess, less the lateraldimension between the lateral outer edge of one of said second pair oflegs and the outer side of the corresponding one of said first pair oflegs is no more than the width of the opening of said T-shaped recess.